Fans of The Elder Scrolls Online and the Game of Thrones series have long noticed the similarity of the game logo to the symbol of the Dragon Queen Daenerys. What is behind it?
Which symbol is it about? If you look closely at Game of Thrones, you quickly notice that various people from Daenerys Targaryen’s entourage wear a special symbol. Especially the commander Grey Worm and Daenerys’ companion Missandei wear a ring consisting of three dragons that bite each other’s tails.
This is what the symbol looks like in ESO: Anyone familiar with the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO) has also seen the symbol. Because the game’s logo looks very similar to that of Game of Thrones. Here, however, a dragon bites an eagle, and that in turn grabs a lion, which bites the dragon.
Since the two symbols look very similar, fans on Reddit are asking: “Are the creators of Game of Thrones perhaps ESO fans and have immortalized the symbol of their favorite game in the series?”
What’s behind the symbol
What is the basis of the symbol? In truth, neither ESO nor GoT probably invented the symbol, but rather adapted it for their purposes. Because the basic shape of the sign is probably the legendary Ouroboros.
This is Greek and stands for “tail-eating.” This refers to a snake (dragon) that bites its own tail. The symbol appeared in ancient Egypt and later became common in alchemy.
In alchemy, the self-biting snake represented a cycle of constant transformations, for example, in which substances evaporate and condense again in a new form. The Ouroboros is also found in Masonic symbolism.
But the creature also appeared in other cultures. In Norse mythology, the Midgard serpent is described as a gigantic being that is so large that it encircles the world and bites its own tail at the end.
In Hinduism, there is also a giant snake that bites its own tail.
The Ouroboros fits both ESO and GoT
In ESO and Game of Thrones, the Ouroboros—each in its trinitarian form—fits very well with the background of the world and the political organizations:
The Ouroboros in ESO: In the game, there are three major alliances that formed after the collapse of the Empire:
- The Ebonheart Pact with the symbol of a dragon
- The Aldmeri Dominion under the banner of the eagle
- The Daggerfall Covenant has a powerful lion as its symbol
All three factions fight each other in the game and “bite” each other. However, they still form a circle, as they all ultimately want to restore the old Empire, albeit under their own domination.
Additionally, the three factions at least at the end of the main story work together against the major villain Molag Bal, which again completes the circle.
The ESO logo showcases the three playable factions in a variety of ways, without favoring any of them. They are all equally present in the circle.
The Ouroboros in Game of Thrones: Anyone familiar with the lore of Game of Thrones and especially the books knows that the logo of House Targaryen is a three-headed dragon. Furthermore, Daenerys has three dragons. The number three of the dragons is also relevant in an important prophecy.
Although the Targaryen logo is never mentioned in this form in the book, the designers of the series have clearly oriented themselves on the shape of the Ouroboros. Possibly because the three dragons form the basis of Daenerys’ power and essentially create the circle around her realm.
But who knows, maybe the designers also played ESO and were inspired by it. Therefore, ESO community manager Gina Bruno responded on Reddit to the statement: “I suspect that the GoT characters are ESO fans…” with the words “They should be too!”.
